Here are the significant books, films and characters joining the list of works in the public domain on Jan. 1, 2026.

Every January 1, pop culture quietly resets in the U.S. Old books, films, TV shows, photos, comic strips, songs, and more lose their copyright protection and enter the public domain, transforming from ...

What do "I Got Rhythm," "The Maltese Falcon," and "The Little Engine That Could" have in common? They all went into the ...

Steamboat Willie, lMickey Mouse, 1928). Many iconic copyrighted works (most notably, Mickey Mouse) that were first published prior to 1929 fell into the public domain in the United States starting ...

New Year’s Day now doubles as Public Domain Day, when a fresh trove of vintage artistic creations becomes available each year for anyone to use, adapt and exploit as copyrights expire. And at least ...

I believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no ...

Novels by Ernest Hemingway, left, William Faulkner and John Steinbeck figure prominently in this year's trove of newly copyright-free literary works. (Associated Press) Last year, it was Mickey Mouse.

The first of January ushers in a new year, a new month and new entries to the list of works in the public domain. While 2024 saw many popular intellectual properties lose copyright protection — ...

One of the most unusual of the creative treasures to enter the public domain this month is King of Jazz. The plotless, experimental 1930 musical film shot in early Technicolor centers on influential ...

Happy New Year Mickey Mouse! With a simple turn of the calendar, you and Minnie just entered a whole new world – the public domain. That means that anyone can – and many will – create entirely new ...

Sarah Hook does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their ...

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Every January 1, pop culture quietly resets in the U.S. Old books, films, TV shows, photos, comic strips, songs, and more lose ...